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SpaceX completed a launch triple-header, achieving Starship's first orbital launch and deploying the first 26 Starlink V3 satellites, while Rocket Lab signed its largest Electron contract yet with Synspective and Portuguese firm Omnidea acquired the assets of the defunct Scottish rocket maker Orbex.
Rocket Lab is protesting NASA's decision to award a $700 million Mars telecommunications spacecraft contract to Blue Origin, citing issues with eligibility criteria and the review process.
This edition of Ars Technica's Rocket Report covers Rocket Lab's new GHOST portable spaceport system, Blue Origin's two-pad plan at LC-36, ArianeGroup's decision to keep MaiaSpace afloat, and other launch industry updates.
Rocket Lab introduces GHOST, a containerized, deployable launch site system for Electron and HASTE rockets, enabling responsive and sovereign launch capability worldwide, with initial pads coming to Alaska in 2027.
This week's Rocket Report covers Rocket Lab's largest launch contract with the US Space Force, a delay for RFA One's debut, Stoke Space's progress on Nova engines, and a new launch rule that may limit environmental regulations, plus a Falcon 9 upper stage on course to hit the Moon.
The article reports on a Space Force-backed mission where True Anomaly's Jackal satellite autonomously pursued and imaged Rocket Lab's Puma satellite in orbit, demonstrating rapid, unscripted rendezvous and proximity operations without pre-coordinated behaviors.
Rocket Lab acquires Iridium Communications in a bold move to compete with SpaceX and Blue Origin, aiming to become a 'self-launching space superpower' by combining launch capabilities with satellite operations.
Rocket Lab announces an $8 billion deal to acquire Iridium Communications, combining its launch services with Iridium's satellite network to challenge SpaceX's Starlink.
The latest Rocket Report covers Rocket Lab's record-setting rapid response launch for the US Space Force, China's potential booster landing attempt, and Rocket Factory Augsburg's fundraising for its RFA One rocket.
The US Space Force conducted a low-key military exercise, Victus Haze, launching a satellite on short notice to inspect another satellite in orbit, testing rapid response capabilities.
NASA has released a solicitation for a $700 million Mars telecommunications orbiter, sparking controversy over eligibility requirements that appear to favor Rocket Lab, and raising questions about the future of the Mars Sample Return mission.